What brings you comfort?
This is a journaling exercise, so go ahead, make a list, write it down!
I want you to really think about it. What did you rely on the last time you were upset, sad, frustrated, angry? I turned to __________ for comfort.
What comes to my mind when I read the word comfort is my husband, a phone call with my daughter, laughing with my son, a good historical fiction book, knowing my husband and adult children are all home for the night. These things make me comfortable.
A couple of months ago, as I read 2 Corinthians chapter 1, the word “Comfort” leapt off the page and caused me to stop, dig deep, and ask hard questions. Am I trusting God to be the God of all comfort in my life? Or am I content to seek some form of earthly comfort?
As I sometimes do, I reached out to Susie with all that I was digging up on the word comfort, and what the Bible teaches us about this word. I suggested it as a monthly journal plan. The return text was not what I expected: “Great idea, and you should be the one to write it.” Yikes! I pray that as you read this month’s scripture journaling passages, that you learn along with me how God is your only source of comfort in life and in death.
The Dictionary describes comfort as a noun, a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint. And as a verb, it means the ease of grief or distress. There are 7 different Greek words that are translated to mean comfort in the Bible. The most frequent noun being paraklesis and most frequent verb being parakleo, which have the idea of strengthening, of helping, of making strong, and of encouraging. The idea behind this word is communicated by the Latin word for comfort, fortis, which also means brave and strong.
The book of 2 Corinthians begins with praising God for being the Father of all Compassion and the God of all Comfort. The word comfort (or a variation of this word depending on what version of the Bible you are using) is used 9 times in just 4 verses. When a word is repeated in scripture, God is making a point. He wants us to focus and understand that word. Paul teaches that God comforts us in our troubles, so that we may comfort others. We are not meant to go it alone! We are meant to find comfort in fellowship with one another. This is why church and Bible study groups matter. We need to lift one another up. We need to rely on one another. Sometimes we are the ones receiving comfort and at other times we give it.
As we continue to read on in the first chapter of 2 Corinthians, we learn that comfort produces patient endurance and hope. Christ shared in our suffering, died on the cross for our sins, so that we can patiently endure all that this life has in store for us and find true hope.
I pray that as we learn more about comfort this month, when life makes you uncomfortable, turning to the God of all Comfort becomes your first response.
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